Week in Review, April 2-5, 2024

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In Writing, we started our final writing unit, From Scene to Series (Writing Realistic Fiction). Students were introduced to Realistic Fiction with a story and a comparison to the other genres they are already familiar with. We also took our Pre-Assessment to see what students already know. Please watch for it coming home in your child's zippy. 

In Reading, we started our last reading unit, Meeting Characters and Learning Lessons (Realistic Fiction). This week we learned that realistic fiction seems real and characters will encounter a problem and resolve it by the end of the story. This week we were reading from as many series as we could. The goal is to find a series we really enjoy and then, in the near future, read every book in that series to get to know the characters better. This week we learned how to reread to learn more about the characters and how to connect important parts of the story together.

In Word Study, we started learning about other vowel combinations and sounds.This week we learned that "oo" makes two sounds. It can mimic the sound of an owl and say "oo" like in the words moon and soon. The other sound of "oo" can be found in words like foot and hook. The letter "u" can also make this sound. When "u" and "oo" make these sounds they are found in the middle of words. Please practice the new heart words, "won", "son", "poor", "door", and "floor".

In Math, we continued Unit 6, Length Measurements Within 120 Units. We measured length and counted the number of length units for quantities up to 110. 

We also determined efficient ways to count the number of length units up to 120.

 

In Science, we started our Light and Sound unit. We learned about cause and effect. We saw that anything that happens has 2 parts: the cause and the effect. The cause is why it happens and the effect is what happens. 

We also went to the STEAM Lab and made some observations about cause and effect with some fun, hands on investigations. Next week we will  learn how to make a claim and construct a cause and effect model to represent what we find. 

We also learned about and celebrated Easter. We enjoyed an Easter Scavenger Hunt (which led to a basket full of eggs), an Easter craft, a hot cross bun snack, and learned the Easter story and traditions.

Upcoming Events:

• April 8-Field Trip to the Zoo. Please bring a lunch from home, AM & PM snack, water bottle with a strap, and wear the white uniform with closed toe shoes. 
• April 9-Ramadan Celebration. A treat will be shared during PM snack.
• April 10-No School! Hari Raya Puasa (end of Ramadan)!
• April 11-Kiara sharing her birthday treat during PM snack.
• April 24-ABC Countdown begins! 
• April 30-Music Informance from 12:40-1:20 in Ms. Sawada's Music Classroom (C207). 
• May 1-No School! Labor Day!

Week in Review, March 18-22, 2024

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In Writing & Reading, we continued working on our "All About" projects. Students were so proud to share them with you during conferences. After break, we will start our final writing unit, From Scene to Series (Writing Realistic Fiction) and our last reading unit, Meeting Characters and Learning Lessons (Realistic Fiction) . 

In Word Study, we continued learning about long vowel sounds. This week we learned that "ie" and "igh" make the long "i" sound. You will usually find "ie" at the end of the word, but "igh" can be found in the middle or at the end. Please practice the new heart words "always" and "almost". 

In Math, we continued Unit 6, Length Measurements Within 120 Units. 

We learned how to choose and use objects to compare lengths of other objects indirectly. Students are enjoying this hands on unit!

In Science, we wrapped up and reflected on our "Let's Ask Nature" unit. After break, we will start our Light and Sound unit. In this unit students will plan and conduct investigations with a variety of materials to further their understanding of the properties of light and sound. They will construct explanations by providing evidence for a claim. Then, they will design and build a device that uses sound or light to communicate over a distance. 

Upcoming Events:

*Quarter 4 Calendar and ABC Countdown are now available here. Our Room Parents are putting together a Sign Up Genius for our ABC Countdown needs. 

• March 23-April 1-Spring Break!
• Please share 5 photos of your Spring Break fun, here.
• April 1-No School! Teacher Inservice Day!
• April 2-Back to school & Easter Celebration! Hot Cross Buns and Easter treats will be shared during PM snack. 
• April 3-Shiv sharing Birthday treats during PM snack. 
• April 8-Field Trip to the Zoo. Please follow the link and read what to bring.
• April 9-Ramadan Celebration. Cookies will be shared during PM snack.
• April 10-No School! Hari Raya Puasa (end of Ramadan)!
• April 24-ABC Countdown begins! 
• April 30-Music Informance from 12:40-1:20 in Ms. Sawada's Music Classroom (C207). 
• May 1-No School! Labor Day!

Week in Review, March 11-15, 2024

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We had a visit from the Leprechaun! He messed up our room, but we almost caught him! Your children made some amazing traps! We found his pants, coat and hat stuck in a couple traps. We traded his clothes for his pot of gold and some rainbow snacks.

In Writing, we started publishing the "All About" book we will be sharing with you during Conferences. Students used the edits and revisions on their sloppy copy to make the necessary changes. They also added the following non-fiction text features to their published piece: table of contents, diagram, captions, bold/key words, a map, fun facts, a glossary and an about the author page. Students are really excited to share their published piece with you during Conference.  

In Reading, we wrapped up our Non-Fiction unit by hunting for Non-Fiction text features in our books. We also took some reading assessments and recorded ourselves reading a passage while using our best fluency and expression. Students are excited to share the recording with you during Conferences. 

In Word Study, we continued learning about vowel teams. A vowel team is when two vowels come together to make a long sound. We sometimes say "When two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking." You can watch this video as a review. This week we learned about "ee", "ea", "ey", "oa", "ow" and "oe". Please practice the new heart words "above", "among", "again" and "against". 

In Math, we started Unit 6, Length Measurements Within 120 Units. We learned how to compare the length of objects by lining up the endpoints and how to order three objects by length and use language such as "shorter than" and "longer than" to describe the relationship between the lengths. 

We also learned how to compare lengths of two objects indirectly by using a third object. 

In Science, we reviewed the structure and function of organisms by conducting a bird beak investigation. We saw that pointy bird beaks are best for picking food out of the rocks and rounded beaks are best for scooping up food. Bird beaks are shaped in order to meet the bird's needs. 

We also conducted an umbrella challenge. How can we make beach umbrellas even better? We watched a video of umbrellas flying away at a beach and were inspired by Biomimicry to look at the structures of trees to enhance the design. Some students created root systems while others created poles with give. Other students created tops that looked more like trees. Ask your child how they improved the design of the umbrella and if their umbrella passed the wind test.  

Upcoming Events:

*Quarter 4 Calendar and ABC Countdown is now available here. Our Room Parents are putting together a Sign Up Genius for ABC Countdown needs. 

• March 18-20-Only vendor led EAAs this week. The following will be attending this week:
• Monday-All Monday participants
• Tuesday-Kaixin
• Wednesday-Lionel, Shiv, and Kiki
• March 21-22-Spring Student Led Conferences (print). 

• March 23-April 1-Spring Break!
• April 1-No School! Teacher Inservice Day!
• April 2-Back to school & Easter Celebration!
• Please reach out to our Room Parents to hep stuff the Easter Eggs for our celebration. 
• April 8-Field Trip to the Zoo.
• April 9-Ramadan Celebration.
• April 10-No School! Hari Raya Puasa (end of Ramadan)!
• April 24-ABC Countdown begins! 
• April 30-Music Informance from 12:40-1:20 in Ms. Sawada's Music Classroom. 
• May 1-No School! Labor Day!

Week in Review, March 4-8, 2024

 

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 In Writing, we continued working on our "All About Books." Students finished Chapter 3, Chapter 4 and their Conclusion. Students worked to add a comparison, twin sentences and examples. They worked to edit and revise their sloppy copy and will start publishing next week. We also took our Non-Fiction Post-Assessment. The Post-Assessment will be shared during Conferences. 

In Reading, we practiced finding the main topic and supporting details, reading like an expert, and worked to build our reading stamina. Students are noticing nonfiction text features in their books and getting really good at finding interesting facts to share.

In Word Study, we reviewed r-controlled vowels ar, ir, ur, er and or. We also started learning about vowel teams. A vowel team is when two vowels come together to make a long sound. We sometimes say "When two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking." You can watch this video as a review. This week we learned about "ai" and "ay". Both say the long "a" sound. The spelling "ay" always comes at the end of a word. Please practice the new heart words "father", "water", "today" and "very".

In Math, we added 2 two-digit numbers using methods based on place value and properties of operations. Students worked to make tens and make sense of equations. We also reviewed, took our Unit 5 Assessment and Unit 6 Pre-Assessment. The Unit 5 Assessment will be shared during the Conference. 

In Science, students reflected on how the Biomimicry project went for them. They took pictures of their blueprints, their animal/plant inspiration and created a PicKid Collage to share with you during Conferences. We also took part in a Shark Tank type experience where students came up with a catchy name and slogan for their prototype and worked to get classmates to invest in their company. Students were challenged to go home and try to get their parents to invest. If your student didn't share their prototype with you, ask them to share their pitch with you.  

Upcoming Events:

• March 14-Mrs. Parra's Birthday! Treats will be shared during PM snack on the 12th (when she is in the classroom).
• Bring Leprechaun trap to school!
• March 15-St. Patrick's Day! Wear green!
• Birthday treats for Jake during PM snack.
• March 18-20-Only vendor led EAAs this week.
• March 21-22-Spring Student Led Conferences. Your child will lead you through some centers and each family will have 15 minutes with the teachers. 
• March 23-April 1-Spring Break!
• April 1-No School! Teacher Inservice Day!
• April 2-Back to school & Easter Celebration!
• April 8-Field Trip to the Zoo. Please fill out your child's permission slip in Veracross. We need seven parent chaperones. If you would like to volunteer, please email (first come first serve). 

Week in Review, February 26-March 1, 2024

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 In Writing, we continued working on our "All About Books." Students finished their Introduction, Chapter 1 and  Chapter 2. Students also worked to add a comparison, twin sentences and examples. We also set our spring writing goal. Students are looking forward to sharing their final projects and spring writing goals during Student Led Conferences. 

In Reading, we learned how to find interesting facts, how to read like a reporter, and how to give a good non-fiction retell. We also set our spring reading goal and had our last SAS Reading Block (RTI) till after Spring Break. Goals will be shared with you during Conferences. We also volunteered to be a lab site for our SAS 1st Grade teachers to practice some reading small groups they learned about during a Science of Reading PD day. Ask your child which Grade 1 teacher they worked with.

In Word Study, we reviewed r-controlled vowels ar, er, ir, ur and or. We also learned that "or" can make two sounds "or" like in north and "or" like in work. Please practice the new heart words "father" and "water".

In Math, we learned how to add 2 two-digit numbers within 100, with composing a ten. We saw that we can add tens and tens and ones and ones. We used methods based on place value and properties of operations. We also made sense of equations that represented addition methods. See the examples below for the different ways students might represent their thinking. 

In Science, students started their Biomimicry project. We were able to visit the Makerspace, in the library loft, twice this week to construct our prototype. Students used their blueprints and materials provided to create a working model. 

They reflected on the process, tested and iterated to make their prototype better. Next week students will be sharing their inventions with the class. 

Upcoming Events:

• March 4-Season 3 EAA starts today and treats for Ena's 1/2 Birthday during PM snack!
• March 14-Mrs. Parra's Birthday! Treats will be shared during PM snack.
• Bring Leprechaun trap to school!
• March 15-St. Patrick's Day! Wear green!
• March 18-20-Only vendor led EAAs this week.
• March 21-22-Spring Student Led Conferences. Your child will lead you through some centers and each family will have 15 minutes with the teachers. 
• March 23-April 1-Spring Break!
• April 1-No School! Teacher Inservice Day!
• April 2-Back to school & Easter Celebration!
• April 8-Field Trip to the Zoo. Please fill out your child's permission slip in Veracross. We need seven parent chaperones. If you would like to volunteer, please email (first come first serve).